THE BLOG

I would like to introduce you to Amy Tachiquin. Amy is a recent addition to our coworking space. She moved to Cheyenne in September on a youthful whim from western Nebraska while looking for a larger town with a reasonable cost of living. Cheyenne has been a great fit for her needs! Amy especially loves spending time at the local library and exploring the night life.

Amy works for Helix Mobile Wellness and Research. They specialize in hormone therapy with a concierge aspect. They provide hormone balancing to patients in the comfort of their own home or office out in California. Amy works on the administrative side, handling scheduling, billing, and customer service from the administrative office that is based out of Cheyenne. She loves assisting patients in reaching their health goals and being a part of a new, exciting start up.

Amy says “I’m so happy to be in the wonderful environment of The Second Floor. I do a lot of my work remotely from home but it is very nice to have a professional yet relaxed environment to come to when needed.”

Meet Matt Cook – another awesome addition to The Second Floor from Language I/O (and the last one from that company that works out of our office space)

Matt is not a man of many words, except when he is writing articles for the Wyoming Business Report (check out his article in the February 2018 addition). The lack of words means he did not give me a ton to go on to introduce you to him.

The basics are that he moved to Cheyenne about 3 months ago to reduce his commute from Laramie (and possible death from driving on I-80), which we completely understand. Matt is originally from La Grande, Oregon. I have no clue why he moved to Wyoming, but you should definitely ask him! His hobbies include reading, board/tabletop games, and riding my bike at a leisurely pace (no bike racing for him).

As state above, he works for Language I/O, but he started in Software Development by helping a post-graduate Botany researcher at the University of Wyoming to rewrite some simulation software. Matt really dug into developing software at Language I/O though. He enjoys working there because the laid-back, yet driven culture allows him to express some creativity in the way he writes code, while providing enough structure to keep him from wandering too far down the rabbit hole. The rabbit hole is fun Matt, you should go down it every once in a while!!

Matt didn’t tell me how he uses the coworking space, but from talking to him and observing his patterns, I believe it is primarily for our never-ending water machine & coffee. He stops by for hot water and cold water multiple times a day, and on occasion he stops by for coffee, beer, or ping pong. We like having him around though!

Make sure to say hi when you see him & maybe ask him what his favorite board game is or why he moved to Wyoming!

Hey everyone! Meet Alanna Larson. Alanna is another one of the super cool people who work at Language I/O (this company just has a lot of cool people at it, you should check them out).

Alanna comes from Minnesota originally, but she moved to Laramie in 2010 (because our awesome schools are less expensive.) She loves the perfect summer weather here, and the lack of bugs – in Minnesota the mosquitos eat people alive the second they walk out the door! Alanna’s love of summer weather is probably what prompted her to live in a truck camper this past summer. (How cool is that?!)

In addition to perfect summer weather, Alanna also likes to draw, read sci-fi/fantasy, and play the ukulele. Her love for fantasy books as a kid prompted her desire to perform magic (don’t we all dream of that?). The difference between her and us is that she figured out how to perform magic as her career. Alanna describes programming as, “…the closest thing I could find [to magic] – you have all these weird incantations that make no sense at first, but if you say them correctly you can make just about anything happen; from talking to people across the world, to creating moving pictures, [or] even sending people into space. Of course if you say them incorrectly you break everything, but that can add to the excitement. It’s a really creative process and you get to spend your days solving puzzles, which is awesome.” (See-magic!)

In the future she is looking forward to working on interdisciplinary problems – like how AI and linguistics can work together to help people communicate, for example. This is part of why she thinks working at Language I/O is so awesome – she has the perfect opportunity to delve into that area.

Alanna finds The Second Floor pretty cool because, “… if I need a change of scenery [from her private office space] there’s a bunch of cool nooks to spend time in, and you’re surrounded by people working on a variety of interesting projects. Plus I could probably live off of tea and popcorn, so having a bottomless supply of those is pretty exciting.”

Bottomless tea and popcorn is pretty exciting Alanna! We are super glad you joined our space.

Craig grew up in Evanston, Wyoming – so right before the Utah border off I-80. After graduation he headed off to the University of Wyoming and obtained a degree in Computer Science. Once he was done with school, he moved to Cheyenne, WY to start his software development career. He went from OCI to Sierra Trading Post and landed at Language I/O as the Director of Software Development, where he is able to focus more on the coding aspect of his career, which seems to be his favorite part.

– We tend to think coding is pretty cool too Craig!

Craig says, “It is really exciting to be able to work for an innovative local startup that provides localization functionality in Customer Relation Management software such as Salesforce and Oracle Service Cloud. Language I/O provides easy integrated access to a vast network of human and machine translators so customer service agents can effectively communicate in their customers’ native language.”

– So, if I am understanding correctly, you connect customer service software with linguists that translates content so that companies do not need to access a separate translator service and it seamlessly works within their current customer service software? Yup, I’m still a little confused too.

Besides coding he loves to wakeboard and snowboard. (It looks like he was pretty good too! Check him out here.) After he had his son, those hobbies took a back seat and were replaced with fly fishing (seems a little safer for you, Craig. We’d like to keep you around). He also enjoys board games and playing cards.

According to Craig, Cheyenne is a great place to raise a family. It is big enough for most anything his family needs but not so big as to drive someone crazy. It is also in a convenient location with relatively easy access to wakeboarding, snowboarding, fly fishing, an international airport, and it doesn’t have soul crushing traffic.

– We love the lack of traffic too.

Craig and Language I/O recently joined our wonderful space and we love having them around. It sounds like Craig likes it too, because when asked about how he utilizes our space, he said, “I am ecstatic with [the] vibe and fun features of the Second Floor at the Paramount. It is unlike any office space I have seen in Cheyenne, and it is perfect for the type of company that Language I/O is. The energy the space provides melds flawlessly with the goals and excitement we have working at Language I/O. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.”

Heather Shoemaker is one of the managing partners of a local technology company here in Cheyenne. The company is headquartered in our sister building next door, The Majestic Building, and Heather, along with the rest of the team, has memberships here at The Second Floor at the Paramount. We asked her a few questions so we could get to know all of her awesomeness – here are her answers:

SF: Tell us a little bit about yourself – any general info will do, but here are some ideas: Where are you from originally? How long have you been in Cheyenne? Do you have any fun hobbies outside of work?

Heather: I was born and grew up in Alaska but I have lived in various places around the “lower 48” and Mexico including Seattle, Washington; Lansing, Michigan; Denver, Colorado; Mexico City – and now Cheyenne. I’m married and have two daughters, one is a sophomore at East High School and the other is a 4th grader at St. Mary’s. My daughters and I all like to rock climb together. This is where living only 20 minutes from Vedauwoo comes in really handy. BTW – I’m trying to get LCCC to re-start their spring rock climbing course so we can get access to that awesome climbing wall during the cold months so contact me if you are interested in taking a rock climbing course! We need at least 15 people before they’ll restart it. I’m vegan – for the animals – and I love to cook. I have a famous pesto cauliflower rice that I need to bring in sometime. (Yes, please!) I’m an avid science fiction / fantasy reader. I recommend “The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet” by Becky Chambers. The sequel is awesome too. Oh and I love to knit!

SF: Tell us a bit about your work – i.e. How did you get the idea for it/how did you get started in your particular field? What are your goals/aspirations for it over the next few years? What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Heather: I graduated from the other UW – University of Washington in Seattle with a degree in Latin American Studies and worked as a newspaper reporter for a while after graduation. I got sick of ambulance chasing + low pay and had been reading lots of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, so computer science looked pretty promising. I enrolled as a grad student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, College of Engineering and I wound up loving my computer science classes. Post graduation I worked as a software developer at all kinds of companies including startups and huge corporations. In 2010, I found myself in a job I didn’t like – at a 30,000 person company. My dislike was mostly owed to the corporate politics and the fact that I had to drive to the Denver Tech Center one day a week. So, I said goodbye to the great pay in favor of quality of life and started a technology company here in Cheyenne – Cheyenne Technology. CT did great and was focused on software development contracting in Wyoming. During that time a colleague from a previous company and I got the idea to create a software product that enabled multilingual support within Client Relationship Management (CRM) platforms. We called our company/product Language I/O. It took off and I had to make a decision to focus on either Cheyenne Technology or Language I/O. I decided the software product model in LIO had more of a future so I sold Cheyenne Technology in 2017 and am now 100% focused on LIO. (Wow, that is an awesome resume and startup story!!)

SF: And, if you don’t mind, it would be great if you could elaborate on how you utilize our space here on The Second Floor. No pressure, though. We are perfectly happy posting just about you and your business.

Heather: We use the co-working space for meetings and a change of scenery from our office next door in the Majestic Building. Of the 10 employees, four of us work regularly out of these offices. The rest are scattered around the country. We’ve only been here a week but so far we love the energy, the space, the big windows … I could go on. The co-working space is awesome as well. (Lol, we are glad you are enjoying your office space and the coworking space. We are super happy to have you join us!!)

This week I would like you to meet Lindsey Stutheit. She is one of the great people on staff at Array School of Technology and Design. Whenever you see her around our coworking space, she always is smiling and has something positive to say. Here is her “interview”:

SF: I have been running a series of member spotlight blog posts on our blog, and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. (Prepare yourself for fame and fortune !!)

Lindsey: I am totally prepared. I prefer fortune over fame just so you know. I totally get if you can’t control the order. 😀 (I will do my best Lindsey!!)

SF: Tell us a little bit about yourself – any general info will do, but here are some ideas: where are you from originally? How long have you been in Cheyenne? Do you have any fun hobbies outside of work?

Lindsey: I am originally from Texas but have lived in Wyoming for close to ten years. I graduated from the University of Wyoming in Textiles and Merchandising and then with a master’s in Adult Education Administration. I love talking about education, connecting education with employment, and working with students to find their passions through career pathways.

When I’m not working, I enjoy being creative through writing, cooking, interior design, and other art projects. I enjoy hiking with my two pups, traveling with my husband, and spending the rest of my free time putting up with my jerk cat.

SF: Tell us a bit about your organization – i.e. how did you get involved with Array? What are your goals/aspirations for it over the next few years? What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Lindsey: Array is an exciting place to work for someone like me. I love the opportunity to connect students to a career path in technology. I also really enjoy collaborating with industry partners, K-12, and other community members to make the education to workforce pipeline as smooth and beneficial as possible. It is really rewarding to help people connect to opportunities they care about. I hope the next year allows me more opportunities to do this, as well as refine our education systems as we continue to grow.

SF: And, if you don’t mind, it would be great if you could elaborate on how you utilize our space here on The Second Floor.

Lindsey: I really enjoy working at The Second Floor as it allows so many different areas to work and connect with people. I love that I can be completely alone in the huddle room, down working on a couch, or up in my office. It is also really beneficial when we have guests at Array. The Second Floor provides such a welcoming environment, and I feel very proud to welcome to introduce people to our the atmosphere and culture. The Second Floor is such a great place to meet new people, to work, and to feel connected.

It is definitely that time of year where I usually run around trying to find the perfect gifts for my friends and family. I have found it can be stressful as you work to find the perfect gift for certain family members (everyone has one or two that are super hard to buy for). I have had many years where this stress almost overwhelmed the joy I get from hunting for and finding the perfect presents. If you are anything like me, you have dealt with this before as well.

I have three teenagers – currently 15, 16, and 17, and I have learned that as they age, their Christmas lists seems to be shorter and shorter and consist of higher priced items. Lately, their Christmas lists consist of cars, laptops, and cell phones. While these are completely normal Christmas lists when you are that age, they are not items we are going to just buy for our kids. The stress it was causing for my husband and I to pick out that perfect gift was turning me into a Grinch! As a result, two years ago I decided we would start doing things a little differently with our Christmas.

In 2016, we added our basic Christmas budget to everyone’s birthday budget throughout the family, which allowed us to give gifts the boys truly enjoyed for their birthdays. We did not give gifts to anyone in our immediate or extended family that Christmas. I did prepare stockings for everyone in my immediate family (because who doesn’t get excited to find a sock filled with awesome stuff at the end of their bed on Christmas morning? I certainly do!) Outside of our stockings, we used our Christmas budget to bless someone outside our family with something they couldn’t afford. We each sponsored someone else’s Christmas with what would have been our individual budget. Our whole family found that to be rather rewarding.

This year, we have decided we are going to switch things up again. Instead of exchanging presents, we are going to buy experiences. For all of our nieces and nephews, siblings, and parents, we looked up places for them to go and spend time with their family (and asked for them to take pictures to send to us when they did.) For our immediate family, we pooled our Christmas budget again and are going to spend the last weekend in December doing stuff together as a family. We will make memories with different activities that were picked out to highlight each individual’s interests. I know that my boys will be moving out sooner than I realize (and that the time will fly by until then), so I want to make memories that we can all think back on.

I can say it feels very freeing to let go of materialism for the holidays and find different ways to celebrate this season. Do you celebrate Christmas with different traditions than the typical American family?

Susan is our newest member here at The Second Floor. She is originally from the very northern part of California, but she has lived in Cheyenne for twelve year now. She enjoys hiking, yoga, and spending time with her husband (who works for Cheyenne Fire and Rescue) and 9 year old son.

I asked Susan to tell us a little about her work – this is what she said:

“I work for Technology Partnership Group (TechPG) which is based out of Indianapolis, IN. TechPG has software called EnABLE which is used for public entities as a grant, loan and bond management system. The system is also used for economic development. I am a Senior Business Analyst for the company and frequently travel to our clients to determine how their current business process will work with the new software, help configure the system and provide training. While working for the State for 7 years I had the opportunity to be involved in software conversion projects which is where I found I had an interest in this type of work. I enjoy being able to travel and having new challenges with each new client I work with.”

Susan utilizes The Second Floor as a change of scenery from her home office and to get away from the distractions of working from home.

“I look forward to continuing to use the space, meet the other members and see how else I can use the space for my work.”